My children live like squirrels. All three girls, but especially the twins, like to have their “stuff” all around them in their beds. On any random day you may find 25 stuffed animals, drawings, pens and paper, books, snacks and money in their beds or under their pillows. One of the twins slept with a Dora sprinkler in her bed for a year and a half. If you tried to move it, she turned into a howler monkey until you dropped it.

While my bedside is much neater and compartmentalized, I recently came to the conclusion that my little apples did not fall far from their maternal tree. Here is a list of what I have next to my bed.

2. Ear Plugs
For the last decade, ear plugs have kept me married to my husband. He snores, loudly. And for the low, low price of $3.99, the cost of a package of 10 pair of ear plugs, I have been able to sleep in the same bed with him and wake up still loving him.
3. Lotion, Cuticle Cream and Lip Balm
I like to be hydrated while I am sleeping.

4. Love Notes
I keep the most special love notes from my children in my bedside table drawer.

5. Pen and Paper
I started keeping pen and a cute pad in my drawer several years ago. I must tell you it helps me get to sleep faster if I write down the things that are on my mind. Sometimes it is the start of the grocery list, or it is a plan for the next day, and other times I write down ideas for this blog.

6. Tennis Ball
I keep several sizes of rubber balls in my drawer as suggested by the myofascial massage therapist I saw last summer. If you have a pain in your back or elsewhere, lie on a ball for two minutes and see if it goes away. Works for me every time.

7. Wadded Tissues
I confess: I keep balls of tissue under my pillow. I am an allergist’s dream and sometimes I need a tissue during the night. Keep ‘em under your pillow and you don’t have to search in the dark! Follow this link to customize your own tissue box.